Orlando Magic's Tobias Harris makes his regular-season debut

After he missed the first 12 games of the regular season because a high-ankle sprain, Harris made his regular-season debut in the Orlando Magic's 104-96 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Harris scored six points on 3-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes of playing time off the bench.

"It felt great checking in and getting back into the flow of things," Harris said. "It was just good to just get my feet wet out there and go out there and play."

To make room for Harris on their active roster, the Magic deactivated backup big man Kyle O'Quinn, who is sidelined by a sprained right ankle.

Harris made his regular-season debut with 2:36 left in the first quarter and received a nice round of applause from the announced crowd of 15,785 inside Amway Center.

Harris, a third-year combo forward who averaged 17.3 points per game after the Magic traded for him last February, entered this season with high hopes. Those hopes were derailed temporarily when he reinjured his lower left leg during a preseason exhibition on Oct. 20.

Vaughn and Hornacek were Utah Jazz teammates from the 1997-98 season through the 1999-2000 season.

"He's just a solid individual," Vaughn said. "You know, I was a rookie, and I had a great group of men who taught me how to be a professional in the league: John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek. To see him prepare for games and the way he practiced, it set [the tone for] my career. He's an individual that is solid in his beliefs. He will encourage guys. So he's a great fit."

Hornacek wasn't surprised that Vaughn became a coach.

"Jacque knows the game," Hornacek said. "That's one thing we saw in him as a young player coming into the league: He knew how to play. He's obviously a very smart guy, and he's got a good demeanor for the guys. He's a type of guy that guys want to play for."

Hornacek didn't advance past the first-round of interviews, but things eventually turned out well for him.

Six months ago, the Suns hired Hornacek as their new head coach. His team has been one of the NBA's biggest surprises so far this season, posting a 6-6 record in its first 12 games.

Hennigan also interviewed Vaughn, Michael Curry, Lindsey Hunter, Michael Malone and Brian Shaw, and Hennigan sought to interview Quin Snyder, who declined to interview in order to take an assistant-coaching job in Russia.

Vaughn, Curry and Hunter advanced to a second round of interviews with Magic CEO Alex Martins.

Vaughn and Curry reached the final round: interviews with members of the DeVos family.

Counting Vaughn and Hornacek, four of the six people who had first-round interviews with the Magic are NBA head coaches now. This past offseason, the Sacramento Kings hired Malone while the Denver Nuggets hired Shaw.

Back in OrlandoThe Magic honored Suns point guard and former Magic player Ish Smith with a video tribute during the first quarter.

"It feels good to be back," Smith said. "Orlando was like my second home for a while."